BUSINESS EVENTS AUSTRALIA

Tourism Australia’s Business Events Boost Program is a domestic partnership program for Australia’s business events industry. Its core purpose is to help boost desire for events domestically as the industry recovers from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Overseen by Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit, Business Events Australia, the program will provide funding to domestically focused industry-led marketing and distribution activity over the next 12 months, which will encourage the hosting of business events in Australia.

The Program is open to applicants who have at least 12 months demonstrated business events experience in corporate incentives, corporate meetings, exhibitions or association meetings. The Program is not designed to support individuals who are looking to enter the business events market.

Projects must demonstrate the potential to influence domestic decision makers of existing Australian business events or assist in the conversion of domestic business events. All activity should seek to encourage the staging of events, in a safe way, as recovery progresses. There are several other mandatory criteria to be met by projects – and applicants – seeking funding:

•  Applications must relate to corporate meetings, corporate incentives, conferences, exhibitions or association meetings. Social or family groups, weddings, student groups, sports groups, leisure tour groups, festivals or social consumer events should not apply.
• Proposed projects must be innovative and creative. Applications should explain how the project will leverage Tourism Australia’s marketing and/or distribution expertise. Projects should not be ‘business as usual’ activity.
• The amount of funding requested for each project must be at least A$10,000.
• Applicants must provide a contribution to the project which matches the value of funding from Tourism Australia. Contributions can be in-kind, indirect revenue, financial or any combination thereof.
• All activity must take place in the 2020/21 financial year.
• Applicants must have at least 12 months demonstrated business events experience in corporate incentives, corporate meetings, exhibitions or association meetings. The program is not designed to support activities to aide entry into the business events market.

The minimum amount of funding that can be requested is A$10,000. Applicants will need to match the value of funding requested through a direct financial contribution or a value in-kind contribution.

Projects the Business Events Boost Program may support include:

• Marketing assets for domestic bidding and conversion of new events 2
• Content and collateral creation including video, still photography, virtual reality initiatives and podcasts
• Digital marketing activity including social media
• Communication activity including direct mail and microsites   • Public relations activity and media buy
• Bespoke and innovative marketing campaigns with amplification strategies

This list is not exhaustive. Tourism Australia is keen to support ambitious and innovative ideas, which inspire future event activity and help to re-build domestic business events so applicants are encouraged to apply with any ideas that support this objective.

No. The Business Events Boost Program will not fund hard event costs, subvention activity or attendance at industry events. Funds are to be used for marketing and distribution projects only.

Applications for delegate boosting activities will be accepted but will be assessed to determine whether the activity is in genuine need of support as the program is designed to help in the consideration and conversion of domestic business events.

Likewise, support for distribution activity, such as site visits, will be thoroughly assessed to determine its need for support and the initiative’s return on investment (ROI) and possible conversion results.

No. The Business Events Boost Program is a domestic program that will sit alongside the Advance Program, which continues to support internationally focused industry-led marketing and distribution activity.

Tourism Australia's business events recovery strategy includes a domestic marketing campaign and partnership program - the Business Events Boost Program. The Business Events Bid Fund Program will remain as an initiative to increase Australia's competitiveness for international business events; there is no intention to deliver this program domestically.

Tourism Australia is adding a focus on domestic business events activity. While Business Events Australia will undertake domestic marketing activity to support immediate industry recovery, international marketing of Australia as a business events destination remains a top priority, especially while Australia’s borders are closed.

Remaining top of mind in key overseas markets during the pause in travel will position Australia for when borders reopen, to drive international business leads to Australian industry when the time is right.

Information about applying online can be found here.

Everything you need to know to apply can be found on the Business Events Australia website.